Business and Pleasure (12 page)

Chapter Seven

As I come awake, I look over to find Alex
still sleeping soundly next to me. A sense of warmth and happiness
fills me, and I smile into the pre-dawn light. Last night was pure
ecstasy. There is no other word for what I experienced in this
man’s arms. He had a goal—to get me to relax—and I’d say he
succeeded…and then some. Never in my life has a man made me feel so
physically and emotionally adored…a deadly combination, that’s for
sure. As I lie here, I begin to imagine what life with him would be
like. Probably wonderful and full of passion. I turn my head and
gaze out the window, wondering at my unusual thoughts. After all, I
barely know him.

Soft mumbling catches my attention and I
look back to check if he’s awake, but his eyes are still closed.
His lips move again… He’s talking in his sleep! How cute! I lean
close, but I can barely understand what he’s saying. He rolls over,
and I hear my name. Now I’m really curious, so I lean in even
little closer, trying to make out what he’s saying.

“I…you…Elizabeth.”

Huh? I frown and watch his lips.

“I love you, Elizabeth.” The words are
barely a whisper, but there’s no mistaking what he said.

Holy
crap
!
He
loves
me
? A squeal of delight rises in my throat, and
I literally have to swallow back the sound. Alex shifts and stirs
in his sleep, then quiets down again. He smacks his lips, but he’s
no longer mumbling under his breath.
Dang
. I’d like to hear
him say those words again, just to be sure…
But
you
are
sure
, I tell myself. I know he said he loves me.

What in the hell do I do now?

Maybe I don’t have to do anything. After
all, he doesn’t know he said anything, and he definitely doesn’t
know I heard him say he loves me, so I decide to put the matter
aside, for now. As much as I can, anyway… Knowledge is power, and
knowing Alex loves me makes me feel very powerful. With a man like
him at my side, I can conquer the world…or, at least my own little
corner of the world.

A shiver runs up my spine as nagging doubt
sets in. How can he love me already? I don’t seem like the type of
woman he’d look at twice, let alone date, but he’s obviously
interested. I just can’t see why. Christina seems more like his
type than me. I sigh, wondering if I have him pegged all wrong. He
is just too gorgeous to be with a woman like me.

But right now, I have a more pressing matter
to consider; I have to pee. How to climb out of this bed and make
it to the bathroom over there, without waking Alex? I turn my head
to see if he’s still sleeping, and his eyes are closed. He looks so
peaceful, so serene…I hate to wake him, but if I don’t go relieve
myself, like now, I’m going to have an accident in this big,
beautiful bed.

With this in mind, I slowly roll out of the
bed, stand up, and stretch. My body feels pretty sore but in a very
good way. A way that reminds me of what happened last night and
makes me grin. I tiptoe into his immaculate restroom and find
myself surrounded by brown tile. Little light and dark brown
squares are everywhere…on the floor, on the walls, around the tub.
The long room has two sinks on one side, with the toilet hidden
behind a small wall on the other side. At the far end sits a huge
Jacuzzi tub, kind of heart-shaped, and there’s a rain shower right
next to it, but there’s no glass wall, no door, nothing…the shower
is completely open! Beautiful doesn’t begin to describe this room.
As I take care of my aching bladder, wash my hands, and—using my
fingers—do my best to get the knots out of my hair, I feel like a
princess.

Feeling much better, but dying for a cup of
coffee (you may have guessed, by now, that I really enjoy a morning
latte or four), I decide to let Alex sleep while I go downstairs to
investigate the kitchen. If I can find a coffee pot and all the
necessary ingredients, I’ll brew a pot and fix a couple cups for
the two of us.

I make my way down the spiral staircase and
find myself once again in his living room, which is even lovelier
in the daylight. I turn the corner past the dining area, and enter
the kitchen. Once again, the place is immaculate. Not a single
thing out of place. If there’s one thing that kind of bothers me,
it’s that the place is a little…antiseptic. A bit too clean, if you
know what I mean. Not that I’d appreciate it more if Alex were a
slob…but a dirty cup on the counter or in the sink, a sweater
thrown over the back of a chair…something like that might make the
place feel a little more lived in, a little homier. I chuckle to
myself. Becca would think I’d lost my mind if she knew what I was
thinking right now, considering how I’m constantly nagging her to
pick up after herself. I guess I just never realized how a tiny bit
of clutter can make a house seem more like a home.

Alex has all stainless steel appliances—go
figure—beautiful, dark brown wood cabinets, and a rich deep black
color of granite for the counters. The large ceramic floor tiles,
too, are dark brown. I have no trouble finding the coffeemaker, as
it’s sitting out on the counter. I laugh again when I see it’s
exactly the same Keuriq Platinum maker I have at home. I quickly
make two cups of coffee, and then I head back upstairs.

I tiptoe across the room to Alex’s side of
the bed. His eyes are still closed, and his deep, regular breathing
tells me he’s either still snoozing, or he’s good at faking sleep.
Either way, he has to open those beautiful eyes soon; we both have
to work today. But he looks so peaceful…and heaven knows, I’m not
eager to go into the office. I have got to figure out what else I
have to do about the “Bob situation,” as I’ve come to think of it,
and now, with Christina quitting on Alex so suddenly, I think I
should look into that if I can, too.

Oh, what the hell…what’s five more minutes,
right? I leave Alex to his slumber and walk over to the window.
Awestruck, I look out over Manhattan. New York is such a lovely
city, but the people who live here can turn their back on you
without warning. I suppose that’s the price you pay for doing
business in here. It’s a gorgeous, Wednesday morning—the sun is
shining, and there’s not a single cloud in sight.

Bang!

A loud crash shatters the stillness. I fly
backward and hit the floor hard. Too stunned and hurt to react or
move, I lie there and stare up at the ceiling in shocked
silence.

“Elizabeth!” Alex’s screams echo the ones
I’d let loose, if I weren’t so damn dazed and confused by whatever
just happened.

“Elizabeth, are you okay! Talk to me!”

I want to…really, I do, but I can’t make my
lips work, can’t turn my head, and can’t move a muscle. It’s as if
my whole body is on lockdown.

C’mon, Elizabeth…get it together. Let him
know you’re okay.
But am I? Okay, I mean. I focus all my energy
on moving my head, and after a moment, I’m able to turn and look
toward the bed. Alex? Where’s Alex? All I see is glass lying around
me…and blood. Lots and lots of blood. Who’s bleeding? Did I cut
myself?

“Elizabeth! Answer me please!”

I can hear him, but I can’t see him. And I
still can’t talk. What the…? I try to move my head again, to look
the other way, but a sharp pain has me sucking in my breath.
There’s something going on with my shoulder…feels as if someone’s
stabbing me with a knife.

“Yes! Come quickly! My girlfriend has been
shot in the shoulder! No. I don’t know who shot her; the bullet
came in through the window, damn it! Now stop asking questions, and
get someone here!”

I close my eyes against Alex’s panic, which
so closely resembles my own, and focus on staying calm. He
apparently just phoned the paramedics, so help is on its way. I
just need to hang in there a little bit longer…

I sense someone nearby and turn to see Alex
kneeling on the glass-strewn floor. He has something in his hands,
something he uses to put pressure on my shoulder, which makes the
pain ten times worse.

“Ouch…oh, God, that hurts!”
Did I
actually just manage to speak
?

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I need to put
some pressure on this. You’re bleeding pretty badly.” Alex presses
against my shoulder again, but this time, he exerts a little less
pressure.

“Alex.” My voice is rough and sounds
scratchy, and I wonder if he can hear me.

“It’s okay,” he says. “I’m here. I’ll take
care of you, and help is on the way.”

I cough a few times, and then try once again
to say what’s on my mind. “Alex, I love you too.”

Tears fill his eyes as he leans over me and
presses a kiss to my lips. “I love you, Elizabeth. Everything will
be fine. You were shot. Someone fired a gun through the window.
You’ve got a bullet wound in your shoulder, so try not to
move.”

“Okay.”

I lay there in silence, and my eyes drift
closed. I said what I had to say…just in case. There’s nothing to
do now except wait for the paramedics to arrive.

*****

Pain in my right shoulder drags me from a
deep sleep. I awaken to find an IV in my left hand and Alex asleep
beside me. He’s sitting in a chair, but he’s leaning forward with
his head resting on my bed right next to me. My mind races as I
struggle to recall the details of what happened. I remember waking
up next to Alex in his room, and I recall going downstairs and
getting coffee and then going back up to his room. I looked out the
window, and the memory comes rushing back, hitting me like a punch
in the gut. I suck in my breath, gasping over what I recall.
Someone shot me!

“Elizabeth... You’re awake. Thank God.” Alex
sits up. He takes my hand and gives a gentle squeeze.

“Yes. I take it I’m in the hospital. Do we
know who fired the gun…if it was an accident, or…?”

He sighs, and he looks sad to me. An old
expression comes to mind—“You look as if you just lost your best
friend.” The saying seems to fit.

“Someone must have seen you through my
window. I have no idea who or why, but he shot you. The police
haven’t found the gunman, and we don’t know if he was hoping to
kill you or just injure you, or, as you mention, if it was just an
accident. In any case, I’m pissed off. I have every single one of
my security people trying to find who it was—with the exception of
Guy, and only because I have him stationed right outside the door
to keep an eye on things here.”

It takes a minute for that to sink in, and I
squirm, unable to get comfortable with my arm like this.

“Are you in pain, baby?”

“My shoulder does hurt a bit.”

“Enough said. Hold on.” He presses the
button and calls a nurse to my room.

He explains I’m in pain, and within minutes,
she is there putting something into my IV.

“How long do I have to be here?”

Alex walks over and takes my hand. “Well,
now that you’re awake, it’s just a matter of time. The police want
to question you about anything you may have seen, and the doctor
wants you monitored for a bit. You can probably go home tomorrow,
but when I say home, I mean my place.”

“Alex. I need to go home. I need clothes and
other necessities. I also have to get back to work.” This statement
fills me with panic. I start to rise, but searing pain in my
shoulder forces me to lie back. Breathing heavy against the sheer
agony of “Holy crap! What day is it?”

I hold my breath, praying I haven’t been out
of it long enough to have missed Friday’s vote at Neo Corp. I need
to be there; I have stop Bob from becoming a board member. I have
to try, anyway.

“Calm down, sweetheart. It’s Thursday. I’ve
already called your IT department, and they found plenty of
evidence against Robert. Your board will never vote for him now. He
was plotting to take over your publishing house the entire time.
Looks like Christina was in on it, too, just as you suspected. I
mean way before she even brought Hamilton to my attention. The IT
department found files and documents pertaining to more buy out
options for your company and your accounting department actually
found where Robert had been hiding funds from the company account.
Your assistant sent all the information to every board member at
Neo Corp. Robert will not be working there after this. Hell, he may
find it hard to get a job anywhere.”

The equipment next to me starts beeping like
crazy, no doubt in response to my rising blood pressure and
increased heart rate.

“Honey, please. Calm down. We’ll take care
of this together, but right now, you have to relax, or they’re
going to end up keeping you in here longer, I’m sure of it. Now
please…breathe.”

It takes everything I’ve got to calm myself,
but I do as he asks, recognizing the logic in his words. I take a
deep breath in and blow it out slowly. This room smells like a
hospital. I loathe hospitals, so the idea of lying here much longer
makes me fight to regain control of my overwrought emotions. I win
the battle, even managing a small smile, which I direct toward the
nurse who comes running into the room.

“What happened? Are you okay, Ms.
Hamilton?”

Alex stands up next to me. “She’s fine. I’m
afraid it’s my fault. I told her a bit of bad news. I know I should
have waited.”

“Yes, you should have. We need her calm and
relaxed. If you can’t work within those parameters, then you need
to leave.”

Alex, leave? “
No
! I’ll stay calm. I
promise.”

Alex squeezes my hand. “And I’ll help her
keep calm. I promise.”

This seems to appease the nurse. “Okay. I’ll
be back in here to check on you both in a little while.”

She walks out but leaves the door standing
slightly ajar.

“Phew. That woman had me shaking in my
shoes. She means business.”

I giggle at his analysis, unable to imagine
Alex shaking in the face of
anything
, let alone the
diminutive nurse. Although, he is correct about one thing—she
definitely meant it when she threatened to make him leave.